Tag Archives: independent author

Good morning, friends and a hearty TGIF to you all! I hope you all have some awesome weekend plans lying ahead of you, even if it’s absolutely nothing. Sometimes I find those are the most enjoyable.

So….if you have read my blog for any length of time you know that I always post the, “Indie Author of the Week” or “Indie Book of the Week” on Fridays. Well, today I’m posting a book that I think you, as an indie author might enjoy.

We’ve all heard of indie authors and if you are like me, you consider yourself one (doesn’t matter whether you are published at this point or not). I’m also fairly certain that you are curious as to what helps to make indie authors successful, no matter your definition of success. Here’s something that you should buy:

Learn how to succeed in indie publishing.

With interviews from 34 of the hottest names in self-publishing, “Interviews with Indie Authors” contains a unique view into the world of the indie writer. Each bestselling self-published author shares how they ensure their books are a hit, and what led them to indie publishing in the first place. You will also find out what they think the future of self-publishing will bring. Their first hand experience is invaluable for anyone planning to succeed with their own books.

Whatever your background, you will learn from these incredible interviews.

With diverse genres such as thrillers, young adult fiction, the paranormal, romance, comedy, fantasy, horror, science fiction, mystery and even non-fiction, whatever you are writing about, this book has it covered.

If you are like me, you will sometimes write a sentence, read back over it and ask yourself, “What in the heck was I thinking when I wrote that? A third grader could have done a better job!” Yeah, we’ve all been there.

More than a couple times, I’ve heard a newer writer say, “I just want to submit my stuff and have somebody tell me I suck.”

Aside from the masochistic urge of being knocked, if you know you suck, you’re wasting everybody’s time submitting.

Even more than “I just want to submit my stuff and have somebody tell me I suck,” I’ve heard people say, “I just want somebody to tell me I’m good.”

It’s Not About Being Validated

It feels good to hear, “You’re a good writer,” but if your worth as a person hinges on your writing being accepted, I have to think you’re in for some heartache.

If you have to ask if you’re a good enough writer to make it, you probably aren’t; you probably need to keep writing.

If you stay busy and do what you’re supposed to do as a writer, you’ll know you’re good without having to ask.

Here are five hints that you’re a good writer:

People Tell You You’re Good

I’m not talking about the people closest to you giving you a pep talk and saying you’re good — I’m talking about people in the know telling you you’re good.

• Take a creative writing class; are you consistently one of the best writers in the class?

• Has anything you’ve written advanced in a reputable contest?

• Do writers you respect tell you that you’re good (but still point out how you can be an even stronger writer)?

If you hear you’re good from people who have no other reason to tell you that you’re good (i.e., they don’t have to live with you moping around the house if they say, “This is a bit weak…”), you’re on the right track.

Be Objective

Step back and look at your writing.

Really look at your writing.

If somebody handed what you write to you, would you say, “This is good.”?

Do you think everything you write is good? If you do, chances are you’re kidding yourself. (Or you’re a rare genius.)

Most writers know when they can make a scene stronger; they also know when they’re on to something a bit more.

If you can look at your writing with objective eyes and see the good and bad, if you’re not already a good writer, you’re at least moving in the right direction.

Compare

Compare your work to the writers you aspire to. Can you hold your own with them?

Does the mere thought of comparing what you’re written to the writers you revere make you cringe a little? If so, keep writing!

I’m not saying that when you compare your writing to the best writers out there that you leave them in the dirt (because you probably don’t), but you should feel confident enough in your writing to see it on a shelf in a bookstore alongside other writers doing similar work.

If you feel you still have a way to go before feeling that confidence, keep writing.

Submit

Put your writing in the hands of people buying short stories, articles, novels, screenplays — anything that pays. (Okay, so short stories rarely pay, but you know what I mean.)

If you get nothing but rejections over a period of years, you probably need to keep honing your skills.

While submitting your work is subjective, part of making it as a writer is seeking out the right places for your writing, and if you don’t see some occasional success over the years — while it doesn’t always mean you’re not good (publishing is full of great writers who faced wall after wall of rejections) — it could be a good indicator that you still need to figure out a few more things.

You Don’t Have to Ask

Unless you’re kidding yourself, you’ll reach a day when you know you’re good.

Even if you’ve faced nothing but rejections that run along the lines of, “You’re talented, but this isn’t my thing,” you know people are recognizing your abilities as a writer.

Not making it big isn’t always an indication of whether or not you’re good; some people just don’t make it, despite their abilities.

Of course, there’s always room for growth; I think most of us — even if we meet great success as writers — will die feeling that we could have been even better.

But if you’ve heard you’re good from the right people; if you can step back and see the good and bad in what you do; if you deserve a spot on a shelf next to the people you aspire to be like; if you’ve met some success when submitting your work…you don’t have to ask if you’re a good writer or not because you have the confidence to say without any doubt, “Yes, I’m a good writer.”

1. Blogs. This is one of my favorites, of course. Aside from this blog, there are dozens of great blogs on writing and every topic under the sun. I like to read about what works for others — it inspires me to action!

2. Books. Maybe my favorite overall. I read writers I love (read about my current loves) and then I steal from them, analyze their writing, get inspired by their greatness. Fiction is my favorite, but I’ll devour anything. If you normally read just a couple of your favorite authors, try branching out into something different. You just might find new inspiration.

3. Overheard dialog. If I’m anywhere public, whether it be at a park or a mall or my workplace, sometimes I’ll eavesdrop on people. Not in a gross way or anything, but I’ll just keep quiet, and listen. I love hearing other people have conversations. Sometimes it doesn’t happen on purpose — you can’t help but overhear people sometimes. If you happen to overhear a snippet of interesting dialog, jot it down in your writing journal as soon as possible. It can serve as a model or inspiration for later writing.

4. Magazines. Good magazines aren’t always filled with great writing, but you can usually find one good piece of either fiction or non-fiction. Good for its writing style, its voice, its rhythm and ability to pull you along to the end. These pieces inspire me. And bad magazines, while perhaps not the best models for writing, can still be inspirations for ideas for good blog posts. These magazines, as they don’t draw readers with great writing, find interesting story angles to attract an audience.

5. Movies. Sometimes, while watching a movie, a character will say something so interesting that I’ll say, “That would make a great blog post!” or “I have to write that in my writing journal!” Sometimes screenwriters can write beautiful dialog. Other times I get inspired by the incredible camera work, the way that a face is framed by the camera, the beauty of the landscape captured on film.

6. Forums. When people write on forums, they rarely do so for style or beauty (there are exceptions, of course, but they’re rare). Forumers are writing to convey information and ideas. Still, those ideas can be beautiful and inspiring in and of themselves. They can inspire more ideas in you. I’m not saying you have to read a wide array of forums every day, but if you’re looking for information, trawling some good forums isn’t a bad idea.

7. Art. For the writer aspiring to greater heights, there is no better inspiration that great art, in my experience. While it doesn’t compare to the experience of seeing the art in person, I like to find inspiring works of art and put it on my computer desktop for contemplation (Michelangelo’s Pieta is there right now). It doesn’t have to be classical works, though — I’ve found inspiration in Japanese anime, in stuff I’ve found on deviantart.com, in local artists in my area.

8. Music. Along the same lines, it can be inspiring to download and play great music, from Mozart to Beethoven to the Beatles to Radiohead. Play it in the background as you write, and allow it to lift you up and move you.

9. Friends. Conversations with my friends, in real life, on the phone or via IM, have inspired some of my best posts. They stir up my ideas, contribute ideas of their own, and they fuse into something even more brilliant than either of us could have created.

10. Writing groups. Whether online or in your community, writing groups are great ways to get energy and motivation for your writing. My best short stories were done in a writing group in my local college (a great place to look for such groups, btw), as we read out our work to the group, critiqued them and made suggestions. The work of the other writers inspired me to do better.

11. The Pocket Muse . A book full of writing inspirations. Can’t beat that!

12. Quotes. I don’t know why it’s so, but great quotes help inspire me. I like to go to various quote sites to find ideas to spark my writing, turns of phrase that show what can be done with the language, motivation for self-improvement. Try these for a start: Writing Quotes and Quotes for Writers.

13. Nature. Stuck for ideas? Go for a walk or a jog. Get away from sidewalks and into grass and trees and fields and hills. Appreciate the beauty around you, and let the inspiration flow through you. Sunsets and sunrises, of course, are two of my favorite uplifting scenes of nature, and anything involving water is also awesome (oceans, rivers, lakes, rain, rivulets, even puddles).

14. History. It can be unexpected, but great people in history can inspire you to greatness. My favorites include Benjamin Franklin, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Leonardo da Vinci, and other greats.

15. Travel. Whether it be halfway around the world, or a day trip to the next town or national park, getting out of your usual area and discovering new places and people and customs can be one of the best inspirations for writing. Use these new places to open up new ways of seeing.

16. Children. I have six kids, and they are my favorite people in the world (my wife and siblings and parents being right up there too). I love to spend quiet time with them, taking walks or reading. I love to have fun with them, playing board games or having pillow fights. And during these times I spend with them, I’m often reflective, about life, about humanity, about love. I suggest that children, with their fresh outlook on the world, can change the way you view things.

17. Exercise. I get my best ideas most often while running. There’s something about the quietness, combined with the increased flow of blood through your brain, combined with being out in the fresh air with nature, that really stimulates the mind.

18. Religion. Many of you aren’t religious (and many are) but it doesn’t matter much — the great religions in the world have ideas in them that are beautiful and inspiring. I’ve studied some of the writings of not only Christianity and Judaism but Islam, Bahai’i, Buddhism, Taoism, and many cultures with multiple nature gods. I can’t say I’m an expert at any of these religions, but I can say that any time I’ve spent reading the ideas of religion have paid off for me in inspiration.

19. Newspapers. I used to be a newspaper reporter and editor, and I’ve become jaded to newspapers. The news seems like an endless cycle of the same thing, happening over and over again. However, if you know how to look, you can find human-interest stories that are inspiring. Stories about people who have triumphed over adversity. (Edit: I had “diversity” instead of “adversity” here and have now corrected … thanks for the catch, Bill!)

20. Dreams. I’m not very good at this, but at times in my life I’ve tried keeping a dream journal by my bedside and writing down what I can remember when I wake up. Not because I think it’ll tell me something about myself or my future or past, but because dreams are so interesting in their complete disregard for the rules of reality, for their otherworldness and plot twists.

21. Writing journal. I highly recommend this for any writer. It doesn’t have to be fancy, or something you write in every day. Just a plain notebook will do, although a nice journal can be motivating. Write down thoughts and inspirations and quotes and snippets of good writing you find and pieces of dialog and plot ideas and new characters. Then go back to this journal when you need ideas or inspiration.

22. Del.icio.us. This popular bookmarking site is a treasure trove of great articles and blog posts and resources. I don’t do this much, but sometimes I’ll browse through these links to find examples of great writing by others. While you shouldn’t steal these ideas, you can often adapt them to your particular blog topic, or use the ideas to spark new ones of your own.

23. Poetry. How can poetry inspire prose? Through its beauty and flow and style and use of rhythm and play on words. Through its use of language and music.

24. Shakespeare. He’s not the only playwright, of course, but he’s undoubtedly the greatest, and the greatest master of the English language as well. While his writing can be difficult for those not used to the language of his time, a study of even one of his plays pays off immensely. The Bard wrote beautifully, used the largest vocabulary of any English writer, invented his own words, made up interesting phrases that are used to this day, had more puns and twists of words than any writer I know. There is no writer more deserving of our study and more inspirational to other writers.

25. Google. Stuck for ideas? The old standby, Google, has often helped me out. I’ll just search for the topic I’m writing about and find tons of great resources. (Evin adds…just remember plagarism. Quote your sources!)

26. Freewriting. One of the best ways to get unstuck if you’re uninspired. Just start writing. Anything. It doesn’t matter. Don’t edit, don’t pause, don’t think. Just write and let it flow. You’ll end up with a lot of garbage, probably, but it’ll help you get out of your rut and you might just write some really good stuff among all that garbage.

27. Brainstorms. Similar to freewriting, but instead of writing prose you’re writing ideas. Just let them flow. Speed and quantity is more important than quality. Within this brainstorm of ideas, you’ll most likely find a few nuggets of greatness. One of my favorite ways to get ideas.

28. Flickr. If fine paintings and sculpture inspire you to greater heights, photography of some of the most talented people in the world can show what everyday humans can do if they try. I like Flickr.com, a real wealthy of amazing photography. Just browse through to find some wonderful inspiration.

29. Breaking your routines. Get out of your rut to see things from a new perspective. If you usually take one route to work, try a couple others. If you usually get up, get ready for work, and leave, try exercising in the morning or watching the sunrise. If you usually watch TV at the end of the day, try reading or writing instead. Shake things up.

30. Success stories. Another of my favorites. When I was training for my first marathon, for example, I read all kinds of success stories of people who had run their first marathon. It inspired me to keep going. There are success stories for writing, or anything else you’d like to do, that will inspire your brains out.

31. People watching. This is an interesting activity for any writer. Go to a busy public place and just sit and watch people. They’ll amuse you, inspire you, and fascinate you. There’s nothing more inspiring than humanity.

Guru Publishing has been evolving over the past year that we have been in business. We’ve been conducting ongoing research into the world of self-publishing and independent (indie) authors and after much work, we’ve found what self-published authors need the most and that’s a good marketing plan. If clients don’t know books exist, they won’t buy them and why? Because they don’t know they exist. It can become a vicious circle.

I’m not saying that all self-published authors fall short in the marketing arena but let’s face it. What do authors do best? Write, not market. Another thing…many self-publishing companies offer packages that include marketing but really. What do these consist of? Posters? Some business cards? The shipping of a media kit to the author to take care of? That is NOT marketing. It’s offering marketing tools to the client, but it’s not actual marketing.

Guru Publishing takes it a step further and offers to do the marketing for our clients. Period. No ifs, ands or buts. We will do the marketing for the author. I don’t mean that we will have a few posters printed. I mean we will do each and every part of marketing that is required to get the book and the face of the author out into the world. Check our site frequently as we begin to list our services: www.mrgurupublishing.com. If you have questions or requests in the meantime, contact me via the contact avenues on my site and I’ll speak with you.

Another perk of Guru Publishing? Yes, we are a self-publishing company but we are a self-publishing company that does not require any form of contract. We are also a self-publishing company that takes no percentage of your sales. Face it. We know what self-publishing really is and that is getting your book out there in print (including e-book format). It’s ensuring your work is professionally edited; it’s getting a great cover design, etc. It’s NOT using an ISBN that belongs to someone else, listing them as the publisher on your self-published book. It’s NOT watching huge percentages of your hard-earned sales go to someone else. It’s all about you having control of your own book.

We have to keep the lights on so yeah, we charge for our services but, they are all for you, custom designed by you. YOU design your own publishing and marketing packages with us. We don’t offer pre-packaged deals that may or may not have what you need.

This is a BIG reason people give for not writing. Most of the time it is legit, which is why I choose to use the word “reason” rather than the word “excuse.” I’ll be the first to admit that yes, it’s very difficult to find the time to write (or can be) when you also hold down a full-time job. Throw family into the mix and you’re left with very little time.

Steve Thompson with Yahoo Voices offers some helpful tips on exactly how to juggle your writing around your full-time job:

1. Put Aside Blocks of Time

While it is possible to write a book on the fly-fifteen minutes on the subway, five minutes between meetings-you’ll accomplish far more if you set aside time every day to work on your book. While you’re at work, realize that your full-time job deserves your complete attention. Wait to work on your book when you’re at home and free from distractions.

2. Get Excited About Writing

Writing a book when you have a full-time job requires a certain level of motivation. Unless you’re excited to sit down and work every evening or in the morning when you wake up, you won’t do it. So on the drive home from work or while you’re eating lunch at your desk, brainstorm ideas in your mind. Think about the next exciting scene or research you want to conduct, and you’ll create the motivation needed to work.

3. Talk to Your Family About It

Believe me, I know how difficult it can be to get your family to leave you alone for a couple of hours to work on your book. Your spouse and children want to spend time with you, so you’ll have to learn how to compartmentalize. Talk with your family about your desire to write a book and let them know how important it is. This will give them reasons to give you time to work after you come home from your full-time job.

4. Don’t Write Every Day

I know that I’ve probably just committed the seventh deadly sin for writers, but honestly, you can’t hope to write every day if you’re also juggling a full-time job. Your mind and body need a chance to recuperate from the stress of both work and writing. Choose one day every week when you don’t write at all-preferably not even an e-mail-to give yourself a chance to relax.

5. Write About What You Know

How many times have you heard that tid-bit of advice? This is especially crucial when you’re writing a book and working a full-time job. Writing about what you know will cut down on the research required to write a book. When you’re spending less time on the Internet or in the stacks at the library, you’ll get far more accomplished.

6. Give Up the Non-Essentials

This is probably not something you want to hear, but if you want to write a book when you have a full-time job, you’re going to have to give up a few things. If you’re used to spending Saturday morning at the breakfast table with the newspaper, you might want to give up that ritual and use that time to write. The same goes for long shopping excursions, sports night with the guys or spa day with the girls. Prioritize, and you’ll have far more time to write.

7. Set Realistic goals

You don’t have to write your entire first novel in two weeks, and if the idea of writing a full-length book fills you with dread, break it down. Decide that you’re going to write two chapters every two weeks, and the entire project will seem more manageable. When you have a full-time job, writing a book isn’t something you can do in a few hours or even a few weeks.

8. Don’t Take Too Much Time Off

We all know that full-time jobs are time-consuming, but you can’t allow yourself to quit writing for several days. I said earlier that you should take at least one day off each week, but don’t let that one day turn into five or six. It’s much harder to go back to the computer keyboard after a week than it is after just a day or two.

As authors, we’ve all heard these two words, “vanity publishers.” Can be scary. Right? It doesn’t always have to be. Vanity publishers should be avoided in most cases however, there are some good ones. You just have to find the right one:

A good vanity publisher will not:

tell you how well written your book is. He will discuss with you the true market potential of what you have written and how you can best present your book to the public. He will explain about such things as the function and use of an ISBN number and bar code, and the need for your book (if it is to go on general sale) to be shelf-friendly in appearance.

tell you how much better his services are than his competitors and swamp you with reams of review cuttings of other books he’s published. He will simply tell you what services he offers. Bear in mind that although it is important to send out review copies, they normally do not sell books in any significant numbers. Your publisher should, either himself or through an agent, be sending copies of covers (in the first instance) to book buyers and library suppliers well in advance of your publication date.

tell you he offers a ‘subsidy’ or ‘co-partnership’ or ‘joint-venture’ publishing service; or any other term that implies he provides a financial commitment of his own to your book – none do. All vanity publishers are in the business of making money, they are not philanthropic nor will a genuine one try to give you the false impression that he is.

tell you that their way is the only way for you to be published and that this or that, author in the past had to pay to see his work in print. They did pay to see their work in print, but not as one of today’s vanity publishers would have you do.

tell you that, because your work has been accepted on merit, it is to appear in an anthology, then offer to sell you a copy (which he says you don’t have to buy) at a ‘special discount price.’ He will give you a fee to publish your poem, or offer you a free copy of the anthology, or both.

tell you that their anthology is to appear in libraries, and will be on sale in bookshops, when it is read – almost without exception – only by those who appear in it and their families.

offer to publish ‘as many copies as the market demands’ or ‘x number of copies’ while you receive only a few ‘free’ copies. A good vanity publisher will agree to publish a fixed number of copies for you at a fixed price, and will explain to you that once you’ve had your manuscript typeset and good quality plates made, you can always have more copies if necessary after your first run – have too many as that first run, and your grandchildren will still be trying to get rid of them from your loft 10 years after you’re dead!

tell you what a wonderful marketing department he has and that because of their hard work you will recoup your large outlay through its royalties, which are ‘higher than anyone else will offer you’ and then give you a breakdown of how those royalties work and what they are likely to be. Which paragraph usually makes little sense – even to a highly trained Accountant. A good vanity publisher will make sure you understand that the chances of recovering anything other than a very small part of your initial outlay is very negligible as the marketing possibilities for a book by an unknown author are invariably poor and very seldom amount to much more than a launch and promotional follow-up in your own locality. (www.vanitypublishinginfo.com)

Thinking on taking the traditional publishing route? You’ll probably need an agent. Let me say this first…you do not always need an agent however, if you are planning on submitting to the publishing house giants such as Bantam, Penguin, etc., then you will need one. In fact, most of the large publishing houses will only accept submissions from agents.

That being said, how do you pick the right literary agent? Jeremie Kubicek (jeremiekubicek.com) shares how:

Choosing an agent to represent you in your publishing strategy can be overwhelming. Barnes and Noble and Amazon will sell you reference books with list after list of agents. The process can feel like job hunting if you are not careful.

Based on that I want to share with you how I chose my agent forLeadership is Dead and why I did. If you are writing a book this post could save you hours of headaches and provide clarity for your publishing plans.

1. Get your act together – organize your thoughts, clarify what you want before you talk to an agent. You won’t get much time to tell someone who you are, what you want and how you plan to change the world. Prepare, prepare, prepare.

2. Make a list of things you want in an agent. Most of you may not know, so let me share what I wanted.

a. My agent needed to get me and believe in me.b. I wanted an aggressive team who could open many doors.c. An agent needed to play in the world I am most comfortable in – business and leadership.d. Noted success helps. Who they have worked for before gives me confidence.e. Marketing is key. I needed someone who was adept in promotion, publicity and marketing because that is not the core strength of most publishers.f. Available. While I am not high maintenance, I definitely needed some one to help me through the first time author process.

3. Ask other authors who they work with. There is nothing better than a reference. To cold call is to waste time. Find a credible author and ask them or find out who they use.

4. Interview face-to-face. Invest in a flight to meet with them and interview them as much as they interview you.

5. Ask them to walk you through the entire process. One, you will learn. Two, you will hear their philosophy. If there is no connection, move on. Hopefully a few phone calls before this meeting will sniff out any issues.

6. Have the right expectations. Realize that agents make money on advances and royalties. While the good agents will serve the whole process, their main focus is on the right author with the right content and distribution at the right time. Always remember how agents are motivated.

I called 4 agents or agent groups. Three of them were referred to me and one approached me. I eliminated one group because they were too closely aligned with other partners. I needed space and fresh ideas. Another agent was eliminated because they were too slick for me. The last two were hard for me because I really liked both of them. I felt one of them was better at the publishing process and the other better with marketing.

Based on all of this I chose to go with Dupree Miller and Shannon Marven as the lead agent. She is amazing. We have a close relationship and I try to help them as much as they help me. I was introduced to her through a business partner, Dr. Henry Cloud, who had great things to say. Their track record was strong, but more than that I felt they knew my market best out of any and specifically Shannon knows who I am and believes in my mission.

There are many other outstanding literary agents. While I didn’t choose them I would recommend Chip Shuneman, the former publisher of Time Life books, and Chris Ferebee of Yates and Yates. While I have never worked with Robert Wolgemuth I have heard great things about him as well.

I hope this gives you a bit more insight and helps you in your pursuit. Good luck and happy writing!